Central African Republic

May lower rates of infection by parasitic intestinal worms: study

(Newser) -
Marijuana was a painkiller in ancient Egypt and an anesthetic in ancient China and Taiwan, Medical Daily reports. Now, an anthropologist says the Aka foragers of the Central African Republic may be unconsciously using the plant to ward off parasitic intestinal worms. Ed Hagen of Washington State University Vancouver surveyed...
More »

Allegations hit French soldiers at Central African Republic camp

(Newser) -
Residents of a squalid refugee camp in the Central African Republic said yesterday that French soldiers tasked with protecting civilians had sexually abused boys as young as 9 years old, luring the children with army rations and small change when their families had nothing to feed them. The accounts given...
More »

'Muslim exodus' leads to food shortage

(Newser) -
A "Muslim exodus of historic proportions" is occurring in the Central African Republic , says a new report from Amnesty International , because "International peacekeepers have failed to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslim civilians." The troops, from France and several African countries, have allowed vigilantes "to fill...
More »

Horrific slaying shows country not exactly healed

(Newser) -
A military event that was supposed to signal a new start for the Central African Republic became a horrific lynching that put the country's divisions on stark display yesterday. Moments after a speech from Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza hailing the reconstitution of the national army, a group of about...
More »

Michel Djotodia had been under pressure to step down amid crisis

(Newser) -
Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who seized control of Central African Republic only to see the desperately poor country tumble toward anarchy and sectarian bloodshed, agreed to resign today along with Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, regional officials announced, following a summit in neighboring Chad on the crisis. On the streets...
More »

Hollande due to arrive in country

(Newser) -
As sectarian fighting rages on in the Central African Republic, France has seen its first casualties since announcing it would deploy more soldiers to the country, says the office of French president Francois Hollande. Two soldiers were killed late yesterday in Bangui, the AP reports. The paratroopers were involved in...
More »

American planes will transport Euro, African peacekeepers

(Newser) -
Now the US is getting involved: Washington has agreed to fly European and African peacekeepers into the Central African Republic to help quell the bloody strife between various Muslim and Christian groups and other rebel militias, CNN reports. US military aircraft will fly troops—including a few French ones—from...
More »

France, African Union will step up military action in unraveling nation

(Newser) -
The UN Security Council has authorized increased military action by France and African troops to try to end near-anarchy in the Central African Republic. The council unanimously approved a French-sponsored resolution today aimed at restoring security and protecting civilians in the impoverished country. The authorization is expected to lead to...
More »

UN warns of rebel atrocities, looming chaos

(Newser) -
France will send 1,000 troops to the Central African Republic to keep growing chaos at bay, the defense minister says, announcing his country's second military foray into a troubled former colony this year. The announcement came a day after a top UN official warned of mass atrocities and...
More »

Reports suggest African warlord is ill, considering surrender

(Newser) -
"It's true, Joseph Kony wants to come out of the bush," says the president of the Central African Republic. Tantalizing words, though there's plenty of doubt about how true they actually are. President Michel Djotodia insists his country has been in direct talks with Kony on...
More »

African Union suspends country as president flees to Cameroon

(Newser) -
The rebels who yesterday took over the Central African Republic say they're going to share power with the government they ostensibly ousted. In a statement today, the rebel Seleka coalition said it would "respect the Libreville accord," a agreement negotiated in January that would set up a...
More »

Francois Bozize has fled, thought to be headed for Congo

(Newser) -
Rebels who invaded the capital two months after signing a peace agreement overthrew Central African Republic's president of a decade today, as fighters seized the presidential palace and declared him the country's former leader, according to witnesses and an adviser to longtime President Francois Bozize. Former colonial power...
More »

Anthropologist 'intrigued' by alleged witchcraft

(Newser) -
An American anthropologist was surprised to encounter reports of penis-snatching in an African village—but only because the "crime" is normally confined to more populated areas, the Daily Mail reports. Writing at AlterNet , Louisa Lombard recounts her visit to the village of Tiringoulou in the Central African Republic, where...
More »

Halt advance on Bangui

(Newser) -
Rebels in the poverty-stricken Central African Republic have been advancing on the capital for three weeks, but today they agreed to halt and begin peace talks, Reuters reports. They had come within striking distance of Bangui, causing the US to close its embassy in the country and evacuate its citizens...
More »

Security deteriorating in neighboring Central African Republic

(Newser) -
President Obama says 50 US troops have deployed to the African country of Chad to help evacuate US citizens and embassy personnel from the neighboring Central African Republic's capital of Bangui in the face of rebel advances toward the city. Obama informed congressional leaders of Thursday's deployment in...
More »

Country's president seeks help against rebels

(Newser) -
With rebels advancing in the Central African Republic, the US has evacuated its ambassador and his staff and closed its embassy in the country. Washington is urging Americans not to visit the country, where violence is surging, the AP reports. Rebels have captured 10 northern towns, and locals in the...
More »

US contractors have been searching for Joseph Kony for years, with contractors

(Newser) -
The US was searching for Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony for years before it sent troops to central Africa last year , but it was using American contractors instead of the military, the Washington Post finds in a detailed look at the program code-named "Tusker Sand." Private...
More »

Reports put him in Sudan, Central African Republic

(Newser) -
The search for Joseph Kony continues, and it could be a long time—even years—before we see results, US officials say. They believe the warlord is hiding in the jungles of the Central African Republic, but his low-tech survival methods—no radios, no phones, just messengers on foot—have...
More »